Acid hydrolysis is an essential step in converting polysaccharides
to monosaccharides for the production of fuels and chemicals. The
prehydrolysis liquor (PHL) from the kraft-based dissolving pulp production
process contains mainly oligosugars with a minor amount of monosugars.
In this study, the influence of process conditions, including the
sulfuric acid concentration, temperature, and time on the PHL hydrolysis
was thoroughly investigated in order to get maximum monosugar concentration
with minimal degradation of sugars. The maximum monosugar concentration
was obtained at 130 °C for 20 min when the hydrolysis was carried
out with 1.78% H2SO4. A high acid concentration
(3.33%) increased furfural formation and decreased the monosugar concentration.
Acetic acid is generated from the acetyl groups bound to the dissolved
hemicelluloses, resulting in a significant increase in the acetic
acid concentration in the PHL.
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